Power fluctuation and wake characteristics of tidal stream turbine subjected to wave and current interaction

• Published in: Energy (Oxford) 2023-02, Vol.264, p.126185, Article 126185
• Main Authors: Zhang, Zhi, Zhang, Yuquan, Zheng, Yuan, Zhang, Jisheng, Fernandez-Rodriguez, Emmanuel, Zang, Wei, Ji, Renwei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: anisotropy; energy flow; Power fluctuation; streams; Tidal stream turbine; turbines; Turbulence anisotropy; turbulent flow; Wake characteristics; water power; Wave and current interaction
• ISSN: 0360-5442
• DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2022.126185

Turbulence and waves interactions are present in tidal streams ensuing the poorly comprehended unsteady state. To clarify several aspects of the wave influence on the flow and turbine power output, the 1:60 scale rotor experiments (Froude similarity) are carried out: current only and with parallel waves. Compared to steady predictions, the mean power in current and with waves against a range of rotor speeds are analogous. The power spectrum under wave conditions is almost a superposition of current and additional components, including wave frequency, rotation frequency, and their mixing frequency. The waves distort significantly the operating flow, by augmenting the turbulent intensity, wake rotation, anisotropy, and Reynold stresses, both in large proportion with the wave energy flux. The mean wake recovery was analogous, with deficits following symmetrical distributions of diminishing height longitudinally. Strikingly, the turbulence in the undisturbed flow resembles mostly near the pancake shape. This transitions towards the cigar-shaped in both most of the stream tube due to the turbine obstruction, and of the channel with the wave introduction. Further studies are required to validate these findings on non-isotropy and non-homogeneous effects in other wave conditions, such as a range of frequencies, heights and incident directions. •The mean power in current and with waves follow the steady BEMT predictions.•The power fluctuations augment in proportion of the wave energy flux and TSR.•The waves produce additional frequency components in the turbine power yield.•The waves affect little the mean wake diffusion and recovery.•The waves distort the transient wake flow and augment the overall turbulence.